Cresskill mulls merging EMS, Fire Department

CRESSKILL — Borough officials are considering merging the EMS with the Fire Department with the hopes of obtaining more grants, lowering costs and providing better services to residents.

Fire Chief Chris Ulshoefer, who would likely head the new unified division, said he supports the idea.

“A lot of bigger cities across the country have the EMS under the Fire Department,” he said, noting such past arrangements in Englewood and Hackensack.

New York has also had a joint department for many years.

“It’s not unusual,” said Ulshoefer. “It would be better service that we could provide our residents. We work pretty closely with the EMS already.”

Mayor Ben Romeo, echoing other officials, said that consolidating emergency squads within fire departments is becoming a national trend among municipalities.

Romeo said that the borough could save money through the merger and a joint emergency division also would free up police to do crime-prevention and investigative work instead of answering emergency calls.

“It’s a natural fit, since the EMS and Fire Department are next door to one another and already work together. We hope some of our firefighters would become EMS trained, which would be even more of a service for our citizens,” he said.

Councilman Hector Olmo said that a merger would allow the borough to receive grants available only to departments that are EMS incorporated. That funding could include Homeland Security grants and the SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) federal grant.

Cresskill’s EMS department currently has 26 members, who report to most emergencies, including fires. The Fire Department has 32 members, 15 of whom receive a stipend, and four of whom are salaried.

Personnel staffing among EMS is not an issue, because the EMS members are paid full time, said officials.

Last year there were 1,000 ambulance calls and 600 fire calls in Cresskill, said Romeo.

Olmo suggested that the borough could maximize staffing by requiring future hires to be EMT trained. “If someone has training in both, they can serve both purposes,” he said.

The council is not scheduled for immediate decision on this issue said Olmo, adding, “We’re not in a rush.”

Englewood Fire Chief Gerald Marion said Englewood had a joint EMS and fire department several years ago and it worked out well.

“We had a great response,” said Marion. “I think it’s a fantastic idea. You see better service and better response times. It encourages the firefighters to learn the lay of the land. The service is so much more effective.”

More recently, Englewood made the decision to have Englewood Hospital take over EMS calls because it made more sense financially for the city.

The ambulance corps is making calls that are charged through insurance or Medicare and that money pays the salary of the four salaried fire department members, who are paid a total of $220,000 a year, said Romeo. Other firefighters, who work a certain number of hours overtime or night shifts, earn a stipend of $2,400 a year.

The borough’s all-volunteer fire department was transformed into a combined salaried and volunteer force in 2012. At the time, officials felt there was a shortage of volunteers to respond to calls during the day. Romeo said that the transition has been very successful.

Although most departments in Bergen County still are staffed by volunteers, the move to a combined or paid force is more common. Among the factors contributing to the demise of volunteerism are more demanding training requirements and increase of two-income families that lack time for volunteer work.

Cresskill mulls merging EMS, Fire Department

CRESSKILL — Borough officials are considering merging the EMS with the Fire Department with the hopes of obtaining more grants, lowering costs and providing better services to residents.

Fire Chief Chris Ulshoefer, who would likely head the new unified division, said he supports the idea.

“A lot of bigger cities across the country have the EMS under the Fire Department,” he said, noting such past arrangements in Englewood and Hackensack.

New York has also had a joint department for many years.

“It’s not unusual,” said Ulshoefer. “It would be better service that we could provide our residents. We work pretty closely with the EMS already.”

Mayor Ben Romeo, echoing other officials, said that consolidating emergency squads within fire departments is becoming a national trend among municipalities.

Romeo said that the borough could save money through the merger and a joint emergency division also would free up police to do crime-prevention and investigative work instead of answering emergency calls.

“It’s a natural fit, since the EMS and Fire Department are next door to one another and already work together. We hope some of our firefighters would become EMS trained, which would be even more of a service for our citizens,” he said.

Councilman Hector Olmo said that a merger would allow the borough to receive grants available only to departments that are EMS incorporated. That funding could include Homeland Security grants and the SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) federal grant.

Cresskill’s EMS department currently has 26 members, who report to most emergencies, including fires. The Fire Department has 32 members, 15 of whom receive a stipend, and four of whom are salaried.

Personnel staffing among EMS is not an issue, because the EMS members are paid full time, said officials.

Last year there were 1,000 ambulance calls and 600 fire calls in Cresskill, said Romeo.

Olmo suggested that the borough could maximize staffing by requiring future hires to be EMT trained. “If someone has training in both, they can serve both purposes,” he said.

The council is not scheduled for immediate decision on this issue said Olmo, adding, “We’re not in a rush.”

Englewood Fire Chief Gerald Marion said Englewood had a joint EMS and fire department several years ago and it worked out well.

“We had a great response,” said Marion. “I think it’s a fantastic idea. You see better service and better response times. It encourages the firefighters to learn the lay of the land. The service is so much more effective.”

More recently, Englewood made the decision to have Englewood Hospital take over EMS calls because it made more sense financially for the city.

The ambulance corps is making calls that are charged through insurance or Medicare and that money pays the salary of the four salaried fire department members, who are paid a total of $220,000 a year, said Romeo. Other firefighters, who work a certain number of hours overtime or night shifts, earn a stipend of $2,400 a year.

The borough’s all-volunteer fire department was transformed into a combined salaried and volunteer force in 2012. At the time, officials felt there was a shortage of volunteers to respond to calls during the day. Romeo said that the transition has been very successful.

Although most departments in Bergen County still are staffed by volunteers, the move to a combined or paid force is more common. Among the factors contributing to the demise of volunteerism are more demanding training requirements and increase of two-income families that lack time for volunteer work.